Thanksgiving brush fire caused by resident disposing of embers

Units from Orange County Fire Rescue and the Florida Forest Service were able to contain a fast-moving brush fire on Thanksgiving afternoon.

The large amount of smoke from the fire led authorities to close State Road 417 in south Orange County for some time, but the Florida Highway Patrol announced that the heavily-traveled toll road reopened about 3:25 pm. The roadway had been shut down in both directions at International Drive and John Young Parkway.

Residents began calling 911 at about 1 p.m. reporting that the woods behind their homes was on fire.

"Wind picked it up, moved it fast and I said, 'Listen, you need to get a fire truck on Alavista.' I'm on my roof, and I watch the next truck to come protect my house," said Paul Moriarty.

Residents said they were the only ones fighting back the flames at first. One man said he was on his rooftop, spraying his yard and house with a hose.

WESH 2 News crews covering the fire observed the fire was close to some homes on Alavista Drive, on the west side of the subdivision. The fire prompted authorities to call for the evacuation of 25 to 30 homes on that street.

According to WESH 2's Stewart Moore, residents were standing outside their homes but most weren't leaving the area. Some residents were forced to protect their homes.

Aerial video from Chopper 2 showed multiple fire crews attacking the fire from different directions, containing the heavy flames after about two hours.

Authorities estimated the fire spread to approximately 50 acres as 25 to 50 mph pushed the fire south.

There was no damage caused to any homes.

A resident admitted he started the fire accidentally while disposing of embers from a bonfire, according to Orange County Fire Rescue.

See the latest breaking news photos from WESH.com u local members in the slideshow below.